Yellow River Iron Oxen

The Yellow River Iron Ox is located in the Yellow River Iron Ox Site in Yongji City, Yuncheng, Shanxi Province. It is an important relic of the Pujin Ferry anchor system in the Tang Dynasty. The four existing cast iron oxen and the attached ironware group provide precious evidence for the study of ancient bridge history and metallurgical technology. This group of iron cultural relics, cast in the 12th year of Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty (724), weighs 26 to 45 tons each and is assembled using a split casting process. The iron ox has a distinct shape and texture, with its horns extending forward to bear weight, and its tail cast horizontally as an iron shaft, which together with the iron man and iron pillars form a complete floating bridge fixing system, showing the integration of engineering mechanics and artistic aesthetics in the Tang Dynasty. The site area is equipped with a panoramic viewing platform and a cultural relic exhibition hall, which restores the structural principles of the Tang Dynasty floating bridge through three-dimensional animation. As the largest existing ancient ferry ironware group, the site verifies the rise and fall of the Yellow River water transport history and provides tourists with a multi-dimensional window to perceive the Yellow River civilization.